Corning Honors 2017 Women of Color, Black Engineer of the Year Winners

Women of Color, Black Engineer of the Year Winners

"We're stronger because we value diversity and that's why we have some of the best talent in the world." -David Morse

​CORNING, N.Y. – Corning's technology community recently recognized the 2017 Women of Color and Black Engineer of the Year award winners during a recognition event at the company's Sullivan Park Research Center. The event was sponsored by the Corning Technology Women's Network (TCWN) and Black Technology Network (BTN).

Dr. David Morse, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, kicked the event off by reminding the audience that at these two national events – our technical talent always rises to the top.

"We're stronger because we value diversity and that's why we have some of the best talent in the world," David said.

Women of Color Awards

Women of Color Awards

The annual Women of Color ceremony took place in October in Detroit, Michigan and is sponsored by the Career Communications Group. More than 1,000 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) advocates participate in this yearly event and conference. The ultimate objective of the event is to promote women in STEM who have made significant technical contributions while often times overcoming obstacles in the process.

Dr. Mark Vaughn, manager for technical talent pipelining and lead for Corning's Office of STEM, described the Corning women who received the 2017 Women of color honors as, "Rock stars! Outstanding people that we rarely ever pause to talk about how great they are," he said.

"This recognition is a testament to what they do all day, every day. They truly represent the best of the best." -Mark Vaughn

During the recognition event at Sullivan Park, each award winner and their supervisor was given the opportunity to share their thoughts on the recognitions. Listed below are some brief excerpts from those remarks.

Sinue Gomez

Sinue Gomez, Outstanding Technical Contribution Award

Sinue Gomez, Technology Manager Glass Surfaces, Corning Pharmaceutical Technologies (CPT), received the Outstanding Technical Contribution award and thanked the support of her supervisors and other leadership opportunities she's received during her time at Corning. "Very early on, I was surrounded by people who constantly encouraged me to learn and keep going," she said.

Sinue's supervisor, Katherine Rossington, Business Technology Director, CPT, has worked with Sinue on many projects over the last decade.

"Although Sinue is a technical person, people are always what is important to her," she said. "Her passion and energy is contagious."

Xiaoju Guo, Technology Rising Star

Xiaoju Guo, Development Associate, received the Technology Rising Star recognition and thanked her supervisors for their support throughout her career. “I’ve learned a lot from them and at the same time, they’ve always given me the freedom to explore within glass development,” she said.

Her supervisor, Jeff Kohli, Technology Director, Glass Development, Corning Product & Process Development, described Xiaoju as a key inventor. “She digs into fundamentals in development and understands issues and how to resolve them,” Jeff said. “I’m looking forward to what more she’ll offer to Corning in the future.”

Lucy Wang Harris, Technology All Star

Lucy Wang Harris, Controls Project Engineer, also received the Technology All Star recognition. This is the second time she’s received the award.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this award and would like to thank my supervisor and others who took the time to recognize and nominate their people," she said. “I’m glad that the Career Communications group continues to sponsor these annual awards for women in fields of STEM.”

James Hawbaker, Manager, Automation Control Systems Engineering, Lucy’s supervisor, cited her versatility and comfort under pressure as some of her best attributes. “She’s an incredibly gifted engineer and leader within her group,” he said. “She also does her part to support affinity groups and demonstrate that Corning is a place for everyone.”

Aize Li, Technology Rising Star

Aize Li, Senior Research Scientist, Chemical Durability Lab Technical Leader, received the Technology Rising Star recognition. She said that she was fortunate to work for a global company like Corning that values diversity.

“The people’s success will ultimately be the company’s success,” Aize said. “My supervisor (Anna Nached) has trusted me for the last seven years and as a result, has given me the confidence to continue to build on my technical knowledge and skill sets,” she said.

Anna Nached, Research Manager, Chemical Analysis, Characterization Sciences, shared with the audience that Aize is, “a technical leader and the utmost example of a team player,” she said. “She quickly took a technical leadership role in Characterization Sciences by establishing herself as a subject matter expert in chemical durability laboratory and was able to deliver the vision for the group and successfully aligned it with the current and future Corning needs.”

Black Engineer of the Year Awards

Black Engineer of the Year Awards

Following the Women of Color recognition, the event shifted to recognizing the Corning participants who received the Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) awards earlier this year. Also hosted by the Career Communications Group, the 27th annual event hosts nearly 1,000 STEM participants from around the United States. The audience includes students, professors as well as professionals from a variety of technical fields.

Mark Vaughn said that the event "is a talent-rich environment for recruiting and development and shines light on the monumental technical contributions made by leaders from communities of color around the nation."

During the recognition event at Sullivan Park, each award winner and their supervisor was given the opportunity to share their thoughts on the recognitions. Listed below are some brief excerpts from those remarks.

Ashley Johnson-Long, Modern Day Technology Leader

Ashley Johnson-Long, New Technology Supervisor, Integrated Die Manufacturing (IDM) Plant, CET, received the Modern Day Technology Leader recognition and was honored and humbled to receive this award since she feels that she works around so many 'rock stars' at Corning.

"I've been really lucky to have great supervisors throughout my career who are open and supportive of new ideas," she said. "Each of them also challenged me in different ways that helped me to grow as an engineer and leader."

Steve Mixon, Senior Manager, Manufacturing Software and Analytical Solutions, MTE, Ashley's previous supervisor said that he was impressed with how quickly she came up to speed after joining the company in 2012. "She is sought out for technical expertise and has a broad impact on all of the projects she participates in," he said.

David Dasher, Modern Day Technology Leader

David Dasher, Research Associate, also received the Modern Day Technology Leader recognition and thanked his supervisor for her guidance during the event.

“It was an honor to be nominated and receive the Modern Day Technology Leader recognition at the BEYA-MIRS conference and to represent Corning at such prestigious event that included participation by many companies across the country and government agencies,” David said. “I was thrilled to be among the honorees from Corning.”

Anna Nached, Research Manager, Chemical Analysis, Characterization Sciences, David’s supervisor, discussed his expertise in materials and organic glasses throughout his career that has spanned nearly three decades.

“He is a highly talented characterization scientist, careful problem solver, technical leader and excellent team player, she said. “He is constantly sought out by businesses, technical leaders, project and program managers due to his ability to integrate his deep understanding of materials and knowledge of the state-of-the-art spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques.”

Robert Smith, Modern Day Technology Leader

Robert Smith, Lab Technology Leader, Gorilla Glass Product and Performance Reliability, received the Modern Day Technology Leader recognition and thanked his supervisors for their support and the opportunities he’s received throughout his career.

“Thanks to all of my previous managers, to my colleagues, and to the BTN for all of the support during my career at Corning,” he said.

Judy Cox, Development Manager, Reliability Programs, Gorilla® Glass Product Performance and Reliability, Robert’s manager, discussed his ability to develop novel tests and work with customers to see how our glass performs. “His expertise in fracture mechanics and ability to collaborate with teammates make him a great asset to the development organization and Gorilla Glass business,” she said.

Corning's Technology Community Office of STEM

Corning's Technology Community Office of STEM

The Office of STEM helps Corning’s Technology Community more effectively understand and assess personnel needs, and utilize resources for science and engineering education and support.

The Office of STEM helps Corning’s Technology Community more effectively understand and assess personnel needs, and utilize resources for science and engineering education and support.